Washing machine transfer valve

ABSTRACT

A washing machine including a washing compartment for alternatively receiving either one of a first type of article-carrying dolly having a conduit system and a second type of article-carrying dolly not having a conduit system, a fluid inlet in the washing compartment, a rotatable spray head mounted in the washing compartment, and a transfer valve connected to the fluid inlet and responsive to the type of dolly received in the washing compartment for controlling the flow of fluid from the fluid inlet to the spray head when the second type of dolly is in the compartment and to the conduit system of the first type of dolly when the first type of dolly is in the washing compartment.

Sept. 22, 1970 was,

32 /2 ll In! I4 I ll \J 22 PORT CLOSED POSITION 26 FIG. 1

36 46 ,le 1 'EQBIT ,2 OPEN-PO81 ION 22 i -22 FIG. j 1 26 :5 INVENTOR l6 JOHN J. BARNUM J. J. BARNUM 3,529,773

WASHING MACHINE TRANSFER VALVE Filed July 28, 1967 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,529,773 WASHING MACHINE TRANSFER VALVE John J. Barnum, Niagara Falls, N.Y., assignor to Sybron Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed July 28, 1967, Ser. No. 656,908 Int. Cl. B05b /10 US. Cl. 239-204 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A transfer valve for a washing machine including a tubular valve body 12 with a tubular valve member 34 telescopically slidable therein between a port closed position (FIG. 1) in which water flows through the valve member 34 to a conduit system of a dolly supported above the transfer valve. When the transfer valve is in a port open position (FIG. 2) water is diverted to a sprayhead 24 rotatably mounted on the valve body 12.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION My invention is an improved transfer valve inculding means responsive to a portion of a slide-in dolly, permitting selective use of the rotatable sprayhead 24 or valve member 34 without the necessity of interchanging them.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide an improvement of a transfer valve of the nature generally referred to in the Francis S. Faust, et al., copending application, Ser. No. 608,702, as a coupler.

It is a significant object of this invention to provide an improved transfer valve for a washing machine which is suitable for selective use of the rotatable sprayhead or the transfer valve making connection with a mobile dolly of the washing machine without the necessity of interchanging the transfer valve and the rotatable sprayhead, as required for example by the Faust device described in the above mentioned patent application. This invention contemplates alternate selectivity which is automatically responsive to the dolly being received internally of the washing machine in its proper position.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be particularly set forth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description:

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view of one embodiment of my invention, with parts broken away;

FIG. 2 is the same as FIG.1 with the exception that the parts are shown in a second relative position and more of the parts removed.

With reference to the figures, I provide a water fluid inlet 10 only the top portion of which is illustrated. It will be understood that this is rigidly mounted in the bottom of a washing machine and communicates with a source of water.

Inlet 10 terminates at its upper end in a smaller outside diameter, vertically extending tubular inlet conduit or valve body 12, forming a shoulder with the lower portion of the inlet 10. I provide an annular collar 14 resting on the shoulder of inlet 10 pinned to the upper tubular valve body 12. The pin 16 passes through two coaxial bores in the sidewall of the valve body 12. I provide a flanged belt or stop member 18, rigidly threaded at 20 through the pin 16. There are a pair of relatively large coaxial outlet ports 22 in the sidewall of the tubular valve body 12 which provides communication between the valve body 12 and a sprayhead 24 rotatably embracing the outside circumference of the tubular valve body 12, as for example, by a pair of annular seals 26 seated in internal annular shoulders formed in the upper and lower ends of a tubular shank portion 28 of the sprayhead 24. There are a pair of horizontally extending sprayhead branch conduits 30 having a plurality of perforations 32 in the upper surface thereof, which perforations are preferably provided at such an angle to the vertical axis that the water being expelled therefrom causes the sprayhead 24 to rotate.

Internally of the tubular valve body 12, I provide a tubular valve or valve member 34 telescopically slidable therein. Sealing means are provided between the external sidewall of the valve member 34 and the internal sidewall of the valve body 12 by a plurality of O-ring seals 36, seated in angular grooves in the external sidewall of the valve member 34. Valve member 34 terminates at its lower end in an internally disposed annular flange 38 defining a port 40 larger in diameter than the shank of the flanged bolt 18 and smaller in diameter than the head 42 of the bolt 18. In this manner, the head 42 of the bolt 18 serves as a closure for the valve member port 40 when in the uppermost postion illustrated in FIG. 2, but permits the passage of water in the manner illustrated by the arrows 44 in FIG. 1, when the valve member 34 is in an intermediate position illustrated in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 1, it will be understood that when there is no water pressure internally of the inlet 10 and tubular valve body 12, the valve member 34 drops by gravity to its lowermost position (not shown) in which the internal flange 38 of the valve member 34 engages the pin 16 which is the inactive lowermost position of the valve member 34.

1 illustrate only a fragmentary portion of a lower surface or bottom 46 of a dolly or other slidable frame carrying accessories (not shown in detail) corresponding to the dolly of the Francis S. Faust application Ser. No. 608,702. When the dolly is inserted into a washing machine, it is properly oriented by roller and track means internally of the washing machine which is well known in the art and not illustrated here. When the dolly comes to its properly oriented position in the washing machine a resilient grommet or seal 48 of the dolly bottom 46 is brought into vertical alignment with the vertical center axis 50 of the valve member 34. The seal 48 has an inlet port 52 which receives water or fluid pressure as indicated by the arrows 44 which is then delivered through a conduit system in the dolly (not shown) to spindles carried by the dolly (not shown). The spindles support glassware or other items to be washed in the washing machine in a manner well-known in the art and described in detail in the heretofore mentioned Faust application. Water passing through the valve body 12 applies sufi icient force to the lower surface of the valve member internal flange 38 thereby to elevate the valve member 34 to the FIG. 1 position in which the outlet port defined by the open end at the upper end of the valve member 34 is brought into sealing relationship with the resilient seal 48. In this position, the fluid circuit is completed to the outlet orifices of the dolly spindles (not shown).

It will be noted that in this intermediate FIG. 1, position, the two lowermost O-ring seals 36 seal the port 22, of the valve body 12 so that no water can pass into the rotatable sprayhead 24. However, when the bottom of the dolly 46 including the resilient seal 48 carried thereon are removed from the dolly (not shown), then upon water pressure being applied to the lower surface of the valve member 34, it is elevated to its uppermost position shown in FIG. 2, thereby sealing off the port 40 and diverting the flow of water as indicated by the arrows 54 of FIG. 2 into the branches 30 of the sprayhead 24 to actuate the sprayhead 24 to rotate about the valve body 12. This provides a spray of water to the articles supported in the washing machine on a dolly (not shown) above the hereinabove described water transfer valve.

It will be understood from the above description of the two positions (port open and port closed) that, by providing dolly having a bottom 46 at a higher level than shown in FIG. 1 but lower than what would permit the valve member 34 to move to the port open or intermediate position of FIG. 2, I am able to provide any intermediate position of the valve 34 depending upon the height of level of the bottom 46 and port 52. Thus, when the valve member 34 is stopped in anyone of a selected height position between port open (FIG. 2) and port closed (FIG. 1), the water will have a divided path and flow both to the port 52 as indicated by the arrows 44 and to the sprayhead 24 as indicated by the arrows 54. In this manner, I am able to provide water simultaneously to wash inside of bottles supported on spindles (not shown) being supplied water from port 52 while spraying the outside with water from sprayhead 24. This is a significant aspect of my invention.

While I have described the preferred form of my inven tion it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made therein, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. An improvement in a washing machine transfer valve, said improvement comprising in combination:

(a) an inlet valve body having at least one outlet port;

(b) a transfer valve member having a fluid passage therein and being movably mounted on said inlet valve body and movable relative thereto responsive to fluid pressure from said inlet valve body;

(c) a sprayhead mounted about said valve body and valve member, said spray head including a portion thereof extending beyond the outside circumference of said valve body and valve member and including outlet perforations in said portion; and

(d) selective means coactive with said valve member when fluid is pressurized for delivering fluid from said valve body selectively through an outlet port of said valve member or to said sprayhead.

2. A claim in accordance with claim 1 in which said selective means includes, a port in said valve body communicating with said sprayhead, a port in said valve member communicating internally of said valve member with said outlet port and stop means for selectively limiting movement of said valve member between a port closed position in which said valve member closes said valve body port and opens said valve member port and a port open position in which said valve member opens said valve body port.

3. A claim in accordance with claim 2 in which each of said valve body and valve member are tubular and telescope with each other.

4. A claim in accordance with claim 2 including;

(e) a first stop means between said body and member for stopping said member in one of said positions when pressurized; and

(f) a second stop means movably mounted with said 4 body and member for stopping said member in the other of said positions.

5. A claim in accordance with claim 3 in which said first stop means closes said valve member port when in said port open position.

6. A claim in accordance with claim 2 including means for closing said valve member port when said valve member is in said port open position.

7. A claim in accordance with claim 2 in which said valve member is slidably mounted inside said valve body and the valve member has an inlet port at that end of the valve member which is adapted to close said valve body port.

8. A claim in accordance with claim 2 in which said valve member outlet port is at an end thereof opposite an end thereof which closes said valve body port.

9. A claim in accordance with claim 8 in which said valve member also has an inlet port at that end of the valve member which is adapted to close said valve body port.

10. A claim in accordance with claim 9 including a stop means movably mounted with said valve body and valve member for stopping said valve member in the port closed position, said stop means having a port therein communicating with said valve member outlet port.

11. A claim in accordance with claim 10 including an other stop means for stopping said member in said port open position when said first mentioned stop means is removed from its valve member stopping position.

12. A claim in accordance with claim 11 in which said another stop means closes said valve member inlet port in said port open position.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 including means for rotatably mounting said sprayhead on said valve body and means causing said sprayhead to rotate when water is expelled from said sprayhead.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said valve body includes an outlet port in fluid communication with said sprayhead and wherein said coactive means includes means for opening said valve member outlet port and closing said valve body outlet port and for alternative- 1y closing said valve member outlet port and opening said valve body outlet port.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,996,159 4/ 1935 Kittridge 239-452 2,568,429 9/1951 Burnam et al 239452 3,077,200 2/ 1963 Guth 23925 1 3,253,784 5/1966 Long et al 239-251 3,375,835 4/1968 Lopp et al 239-251 LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. Dated Seotember 22. 1970 Invent John J. Barnum It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 5, line 1, after the word "claim" delete the numeral "3" and insert the numeral --4-.

manfl) Mi FEALEU (SEA W I. W.

A M 0 m I. JR.

la-1551mmof Patents FORM PC4050 USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 fi U S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING DI'FICE 9C9 O-lii-Sll 

